ModelMayhemReviews 148

We needed extra models for a few jobs in the USA and we are an International talent agency and we got banned for offering people paid work, yet I know of dodgy photographer we wouldn't touch with a ten foot barge pool picking up free models through them, so I haven't really worked out what they are actually about but I do know they are not an agency, they are not there to help promote talent to the right people or places so why spend any money or time on it

I signed up for a profile and after about a week my account was closed. In that time I received 100+ messages from "photographers" wanting to do a TF nude shoot with me, when you look at their profiles though they only have crappy poor quality pics or unprofessional pics and in some cases porn. Yet my profile is banned. I asked why my profile was banned in the "ask a mod" section of their website. It took 6 days for them to reply to my message and their response was that I do not appear to be who I say I am. The mod bluntly told me that in order to prove who I am I must take a photo of myself holding a crumpled up piece of paper that says "Hi mods, this is me" These mods are far to arrogant and drunk on the power of banning models which apparently makes them men. I will not be doing as they ask as I feel the website is a joke, filled with perverted men just wanting to get you nude. Plus they spam your mailbox with total crap! Stay away!

I am a professional commercial photographer out of New York that also specializes in portraiture, fashion and glamour photography. I am 'considered' top in my city as I work with a healthy amount of agencies as their 'go-to' photographer. I am also the owner of a popular 4 hour DVD on photography teachings, which was produced and distributed by Kelby Training Institute.

Recently I have considered expanding my studio to Dallas Texas and Los Angeles. My clients kept saying I should join Model Mayhem as it would help access a large database of potential clients as I expand my global presence.

After registering and paying their VIP account ($100Yr) and uploading about two dozen of my images from various shoots, I get an email saying my account was closed and I am now banned. Several other photographers who also work as 'Admins or Mods' chimed in saying I was not who I said I was and marked all my work as stolen, effectively saying none of it was mine.

Clearly my Credit Card name matched my Model Mayhem account name, yet when brining this issue up by their support email, there has been no response. It has been nearly three weeks.

I now have filed a dispute with my credit card company, as I've complained about their malpractice and poor business.

It was ironic how the Admins (Competitive photographers) happened to be from Los Angeles, Texas, and New York.

Sounds like they didn't want me getting in to their territories and potentially 'stealing' their clientele.

You've been warned people!

-Peter

The people that are creating a commnity there is great. You can learn allot from the photographers in the forums and it is some very talented people there. However, the MODERATORS are control freaks and I truly believe they are bored and tend to go a little overboard with their power to grant people an account and take them away by using loosely defined terms of service. The first thing they did was clean out allot of the older members by finding minor instances to remove them "improper use of BB code" or "Representing as an agency or promotion company" and other creative ways to clear out the free members who initially could upload 30 photos but new members are limited to 15. There are other instances of taking sides in a dispute, and blatant racismI've read tales of in some forums. I would not go back even if they paid me and I now know there are plenty of alternatives available.

So called "mods" terrorize the site and kick people out on a dime for personal - not professional - reasons. One photo could be the picture of the day on 18+ and the next photo could be deleted with no legit reason. One of my photos found too much and deleted and I argued that it was NOT. Next thing - booted out even as a VIP member. They still have my six month paid membership money. Do NOT become a member and do NOT play under kid's behaviors. STAY AWAY or they will steal your money too with no refund.

The website as idea is good. BUT the team working on this website are horrible. If you have a questions they will take between month - 2 months to get back to you. If you have issue ofcourse it will not be solved and the last thing they will say "IT'S YOUR PROBLEM". They are so UN-professional.

They will ask you for money even though the website is free but the money will asked for to add you on VIP so you can send and receive or contact more models. They just closed my account and they didn't return the money back. The reason of closing as they are saying it "that I was denied before by modelmayhem.com" WHICH NEVER EVER HAPPENED.

If you really wanna meet professional people I would suggest photosig.com. Those modelmayhem are horrible and doesn't even worth the 1 star

This site is a waste of time. 95% of the models are not really models and many of the photographers are not really photographers.

Most of the 'models' are silly, narcissistic attention-seekers and their behaviour has given me a massive respect for the actual 'real' models I have met and photographed that have had nothing to do with Model Mayhem.

The function of MM then is, like EVERYTHING ON THE WEB, to give people a 'fake' sense of their own empowerment and to socially control people by forcing them to look at computer screens all day.

Want a model? Go to a real modelling agency. Want a Photographer? Find a good one and pay him/her for their work as you would pay for a plumber.

Sites like this get very mixed reviews because of the very nature of social networking sites. You either love them or hate them. Before the advent of the internet and digital photography, most people who were photographers really were only just photographers and models, well that was their sole occupation. The internet and in particular social networking sites like this allow basically anyone with a digital camera to call themselves a photographer (GWC-guys with cameras) and pretty girls can call themselves models. The photographers need willing subjects to photograph and the models want pictures of themselves to help them land jobs. These sites will exist and this one does do a pretty good job of connecting photographers with models. Sometimes the photographer will pay the models and other times models pay the photographer. It just depends on supply and demand. I give this site a full heart for changing the game in the way people can connect and can find jobs online. I will also say that if a photographer has meager skills or a model is not skilled or attractive they will not find any of these types of sites very useful just like IRL.

Modelmayhem - Modeling networking site - Great place to meet photographers, models, makeup artists, hair stylists, wardrobe stylists, clothing designers, etc. Social networking tool that can also be functional depending on your luck wading through the flakes (though that's universal to all internet modeling sites). Still, there are quite a few working professionals on there (I've made friends with plenty), and sometimes it's surprising seeing who's on there. It's worth checking out if you're curious about the whole modeling scene.

*edit* woops, shoulda put this in the other category =P